Dual Enrollment, Performance-Based Funding, and the Completion Agenda: An Analysis of Post-Secondary Credential Outcomes of Dual Enrollment Students by Credential Type

Objective: Dual enrollment has become a significant portion of community college enrollment throughout the country. Some scholars have argued that dual enrollment implementation can be used as a viable policy lever to achieve the certificate and associate degree obtainment outcomes identified in Reclaiming the American Dream, a large-scale policy framework driving the community college completion agenda. However, research on dual enrollment participation and credential completion is just starting to emerge with little focus on associate degree and certificate obtainment. To fill this gap, this study investigates the relationship between dual enrollment and credential completion, paying close attention to associate degree and short-term certificate obtainment. Methods: A quantitative analysis was conducted with data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to ascertain the relationship between taking college classes in high school and post-secondary credential obtainment. Disaggregated completion percentages were collected both 3 and 5 years after students began at a post-secondary institution, and binary logistic regression models were constructed to calculate the odds of post-secondary credential obtainment when taking dual enrollment courses. Results: Overall, dual enrollment students have increased odds of completing any post-secondary credential compared to non-dual enrollment students. When disaggregated by credential type, dual enrollment students have diminished odds of completing an associate degree or certificate, compared to increased odds of completing a bachelor’s degree. Contributions: This study adds to the growing literature surrounding dual enrollment and post-secondary credential obtainment by demonstrating that dual enrollment is not a viable policy lever to achieve the credential obtainment goals of the completion agenda.

A Rhetorical Analysis of Intermediary Organization Documents on College Completion Policy

Intermediary organizations play an increasingly important role in public policy related to higher education, particularly related to the completion agenda. This study addresses strategies employed by intermediary organizations to communicate to policymakers regarding college completion. Using rhetorical analysis, we examine 72 documents to deconstruct their arguments. Findings show that intermediaries employ the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos, delivery, and idiom to present information and advocate preferred policy solutions. Importantly, organizations communicate messages differently based on their orientation toward the researcher or policymaker communities. Intermediary organizations aligned more closely with researchers rely more on empirical evidence and neutral tones, whereas organizations aligned more closely with policymakers utilize more idiomatic language, visually engaging document design, and nonempirical sources of evidence. Rhetorical analysis can enable researchers, intermediaries, and policymakers all to work more clearly and carefully in the higher education policy arena and, in so doing, strengthen the bridge between the two communities.

Understanding the University and Faculty Investment in Implementing High-Impact Educational Practices

A variety of assessment options utilizing high-impact educational practices have emerged to assist faculty in higher education with college student learning outcomes. High-impact practices are defined as teaching and learning designs which have been demonstrated to increase student engagement and persistence. Practices such as first-year seminars, tech-rich learning communities, collaborative projects, undergrad research, global/diversity learning, service learning, practicums, and internships are educational tools making it possible to assess the practices’ contribution to students’ cumulative learning. However, utilization of these practices is unsystematic due in part to the required investment of time, training, and money. This paper describes high-impact practices that support course and program level learning outcomes in conjunction with the investments for implementation. Exploration into why these types of practices are effective and which students have access to them emphasizes the need for this investment to meet accreditation standards and the mandates of our government’s “completion agenda” geared towards preparing America’s future workforce.